Thursday, May 13, 2010

If you've been watching the Twins in May, you've noticed a nice hot streak by Mr. Delmon Young. Since he got here, I've been toying with the idea of buying a jersey. But in the wake of big-time trade talk the past two offseasons, it's been hard to commit (plus the often putrid offense/defense). But if he keeps on his current pace, I don't think the Twins will be able to help but keep him around. And if you point to April as a reason to temper my excitement, I'll simply say he's a known slow starter. Which he is. The important thing is that we notice trends in his statistical production… so here's some info to chew on:

Delmon Young now has 13 hits in May.

Last year, he had a total of 13 hits in ALL OF May.

Also, he's doubled his extra-base hits (from 6 to 12) in just nine games this month.

Young had 14 hits (63 AB) in April this year, and has 13 in nine games (31 AB).

The fact of the matter is that we're witnessing a turnaround in altogether approach at the beginning of the season. The past two years he's struck out over 30 times in April/May while walking 17, then five times. This year he's clearly made more contact and honed his strike zone discernment (just 10 strikeouts halfway through May). This - of course - has allowed Young to swing at better pitches and when he DOES make solid contact, the ball is jumping off his bat and finding bleachers or green space more often than ever before as a Twin. If it took a journey like this for Young to realize some of that massive potential, then it'll have been worth it. Because he's coming out the other side of the tunnel a new, more productive player.

Friday, April 30, 2010

In the wake of the Twins' second-straight loss and Nick Blackburn's mystery "is-it-an-injury-or-is-it-a-family-issue" thing, I decided to check out a month's worth of minor league stats to see if there's anyone cooking right now. I'll give you the bad news first: if you're hoping there's some little-known starting pitcher waiting to throw quality innings at the major-league level, you're not going to find him. Because you've probably already seen what Jeff Manship, Glen Perkins and others can do. And it's not really that great. But when you look at lower levels, you find a wealth of fun young talent outside of the Ben Revere's and Aaron Hicks' of the world. If you take a closer look, this is what you'll find…

Anthony Slama, RP, AAA LevelEveryone's heard about this guy by now, but it's worth mentioning that against all odds (he's a "fool you", not an "overpower you" kind of pitcher), Slama is leading the Rochester Red Wings in strikeouts in a relief role. He's recorded five saves, and would be a great choice to sub in for any of Jesse Crain, Sean Burnett or a few other relievers who've screwed the pooch this year. By the way, batters are hitting just .109 off him to start the year… I realize it's early, but he's displayed this kind of dominance at every level for the past three years or so.

Dustin Martin, 2B, AAA LevelI'm not saying Martin is the next big thing at second base, but he's shown quite an improvement in plate discipline this year in 16 games. He's got a 9:12 strikeout to walk ratio going right now (.424 OBP), where last year it was 39:92 (.319 OBP). Also, he hit a total of five homers in AAA last season, but has three this year. Looks like he's growing as a player, and he just turned 26, so there's reason to believe he could make an impact with the Twins.

Trevor Plouffe, SS, AAA LevelIt's too early to evaluate a guy like this because there's not as stark a contrast to last season's totals like our guy Martin above. But in 20 games this season, Plouffe has only a 7:7 K/BB ratio (.367 OBP compared to .313 last year). And he's stolen two bases already compared to three in all of 2009 (118 games). He's making a little noise, so I'll keep an eye on him.

Brian Dinkelman, 2B, AAA LevelHis power stroke hasn't come in yet, but the 38 doubles and eight homers in 2009 kind of caught my eye. Dinkelman is patient at the plate too, so far having recorded a nice .404 (13:11 K/BB) On-base percentage through 20 games played. He doesn't run much either, but I'm looking for a sign that the home runs might increase this year. He's 27 this year, and it's time to shine.

David Bromberg, SP, AA LevelBromberg earned a promotion with a sizzlin' 2.70 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.7 K/9 performance at High-A Fort Myers in 2009, and has responded well this year to souped-up competition. In his first three starts - 18 innings - he's given up just 13 baserunners and struck out 17 batters. Just two earned runs, as well. Impressive!

Bobby Lanigan, SP, High-A LevelThrough four starts, it's pretty apparent why the 22-year-old Lanigan breezed through Elizabethtown and Beloit last year. He's struck out 20 batters and allowed two earned runs through 22 innings in 2010. Also, Lanigan has allowed just 20 baserunners, giving him a pretty dominant base from which to POSSIBLY leap to New Britain later this season.

Kyle Gibson, SP, High-A LevelA lot of people know Gibson's name… he was a highly-rated prospect in last year's draft, and has performed accordingly in 30+ innings at Fort Myers. In fact, he just threw a complete-game shutout his last time out, with six strikeouts and one hit allowed. Gibson's first start of the year was a little bumpy, but from that point on he's given up just 21 baserunners in 27 innings. And struck out 21 batters. He'll be in New Britain by year's end.

Liam Hendriks, SP, Low-A LevelHendriks showed some signs of being really good last year with a solid K/BB ratio and K/9 ratio. Gotta love a guy who refuses to give free passes and limits balls in play. This season in Beloit, he's been downright dominant with 26 Ks in 22 innings and just nine TOTAL baserunners allowed. One earned run in four starts, as well. Somehow he hasn't factored into a decision yet so his record is 0-0, but don't let that fool you. He's been absolutely filthy thus far.

*****

Can't wait to watch the Twins face off against Cleveland this weekend. I'm a little worried about how bad the hitting looked over the past 14 innings or so, but then I remembered that we're actually a pretty solid scoring team, and that we'll probably sweep the Indians this weekend. Because they suck.